My challenge to you today is to look beyond.

We have a tendency to limit ourselves in our own vision, our own expectations. I see this manifested in many ways. When we seek something in our lives we form an idea or a vision of what that looks like to us.

I see this happen in two ways… in that we overlook opportunities because they don’t look like what we have in our heads… and that we fail to see the forest for the trees.

For instance when looking for a mate, or a career, or a home… we begin to eliminate or overlook anything that does not fit our vision. Let me be clear… I believe that having a vision of what you seek in life is a must and it creates clarity and allows us not to be distracted from our goal. Now, having said that, I also believe that we have to challenge ourselves to realize that the fruition of that vision may not look exactly like you have in mind. For instance the perfect partner for life may be someone who fits your vision perfectly and is undeniably an incredible match for you but they may not look exactly like you are expecting them to look like… in other words  miss out on your soul-mate because hes a 45 year old, 5’10″ red headed banker instead of a 40 year old, 6’2″ Italian attorney! The packaging might be different but its whats inside that matters. Its the substance we are seeking.

This can also apply to seeing more than what the eye initially beholds.

When you look at this picture do you see a forest and lots of flowers… or do you see a pathway weaving through a violet carpet of color into an enchanted land with all natures most precious gifts to keep you company while you explore a treasure with peaceful intention?

Again… I challenge you to look beyond. Look beyond your own vision, look beyond what they eye initially beholds. Challenge yourself to creatively explore the path to the destination.

Blessings…

Chyrl

Spring Equinox… a perfect opportunity to spring into LIFE!

I think it’s amazing that on this day both day and night are each approximately 12 hours long. The Sun crosses the celestial equator going northward; it rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west. This year spring equinox is on Tuesday, March 20.  I think its absolutely fitting that things should be in such alignment at this time of year.

I look so forward to spring and have always thought of it as a time that marks the beginning of more daylight, warmer weather, and the rebirth of new life… and the promise of clean houses, fresh air and love seem to be everywhere in the air. I always want to get my flip-flops out and go put my feet in the sand!  It’s as if, it comes along and breathes new life into the world. As I child I was enamored with spring and always had a feeling of boundless energy and anxious anticipation and would inevitably find myself at the barn dressing my pony up in wildflowers and putting baby dresses on the dog! Hey… it’s a child’s life and I was readying myself for some major adventures with my playmates.

Spring is a perfect time to power up for a new season in your life. With the promise of sunshine and flower blossoms we feel energized and inspired to get our lives in order. Its time to clean our internal house as well… body, mind and soul. As we wake from the slumber of winter and revive we need to do some spring-cleaning of ourselves and take stock of the different areas of our lives.

This spring ask yourself what areas of your life need attention?

Think about your health, home, career, finances, relationships and your spiritual self… where do you feel you might be falling short?

Create a spring-cleaning list for yourself… eliminate the clutter in your house… the one we call our life! Here are some simple suggestions for taking stock and sweeping out the cobwebs!

1. Do an attitude check… throw out any negative energies you might have floating around in your head and replace them with positive thoughts… expect the best for yourself.
2. Is there something that is draining you that you need to rid yourself of? Unfinished business, grudges, neglected areas of your life, obligations, unachieved goals, people who drain you with negative energy and ongoing crisis… now is a perfect time to take stock of these things.
3. Now clean house… complete any unfinished business, throw your grudges out with the trash… they don’t serve and only weigh you down, put your attention on what you might be neglecting in your life… especially yourself and then nurture it, don’t participate in drama.  Anything that’s not serving you or that drains you needs to go.
4. Make lists of things… by writing things down we are able to free our minds and create more focus.
5. Is your list realistic? Ask yourself… am I really going to do this… if your not then cross it off. Were looking for success here!
6. Now create priorities… order the list and establish a deadline for each item. Each time you check an item off you will feel a renewed sense of accomplishment and encouragement! Get your game on and get with it!
7. Out with the old and in with the new… what kind of useless habits do you have that you can chuck out? Its time to replace those with fresh and exciting activities and adventures. Do something new… fun… exciting… leave your comfort zone for a change!
8. Get out your dreams and dust them off! It’s never too late to live the life you have always dreamed of.
9. Feed your spirit with things you love… take time to smell the daylilies… have a massage, a pedicure, go to yoga, meditate a bit, play with a child, help out someone in need.

10. Now… live as if! Take your new attitude and springtime bloom and get your grove on. Do life with gusto… there is no time like NOW!

Hoping… Spring brings you boundless blessings!

Chyrl

Yesterday was Valentines Day I thought about how for me Valentines Day is about more than a romantic hallmark holiday… its about extending and receiving love selflessly from a place of internal happiness. So many people have loved and enjoyed this. Some have called this a prayer… some a mediation. I love it and I wanted to share it with you all. It is from Don Miguel Ruiz’s Book The Four Agreements and I think it is such a warm and inspiring bit of wisdom and love… I hope you will all take a little time to center yourself and enjoy this!

The Four Agreements, A Toltec wisdom book
Don Miguel Ruiz

A beautiful dream…..

We are going to share a beautiful dream together- a dream that you will love to have all of the time. In this dream you are in the middle of a warm sunny day. You hear the birds, the wind, and a little river. You walk toward the river. At the edge of the river is an old man in meditation and you see that out of his head comes a beautiful light of different colors. You try not to bother him, but he notices your presence and opens his eyes. He has the kind of eyes that are full of love and a big smile. You ask him how he is able to radiate all of that beautiful light. You ask him if he can teach you to do what he is doing. He replies that many, many years ago he asked the same question of his teacher.

The old man begins to tell you his story: “My teacher opened his chest and took out his heart, and he took a beautiful flame from his heart. Then he opened my chest, opened my heart, and he put that little flame inside it. He put my heart back in my chest, and as soon as my heart was inside me, I felt intense love, because the flame he put in my heart was his own love.”

“That flame grew in my heart and became a big, big, fire—a fire that doesn’t burn, but purifies everything that it touches. And that fire touched each one of the cells of my body, and the cells of my body loved me back. I became one with my body, but my love grew even more. The fire touched every emotion of my mind, and all of the emotions transformed into a strong and intense love. And I loved myself, completely and unconditionally.”

But the fire kept burning and I had the need to share my love. I decided to put a little piece of my love in every tree, and the trees loved me back, and I became one with the trees, but my love did not stop, it grew more. I put a piece of love in every flower, in the grass, in the earth and they loved me back, and we became one. And my love grew more and more to love every animal in the world. They responded to my love and they loved me back, and we became one. But my love kept growing and growing……

……..I turned my head to the sky, to the sun, to the stars, and put a little piece of my love in every star, in the moon, in the sun, and they loved me back. And I became one with the moon and the sun and the stars, and my love kept growing and growing. And I put a little piece of my love in every human, and I became one with the whole of humanity. Wherever I go, whomever I meet, I see myself in their eyes, because I am a part of everything, because I love.”

And then the old man opens his own chest, and takes out his heart with that beautiful flame inside, and he puts that flame in your heart. And now that love is growing inside of you. Now you are one with the wind, with the water, with the stars, with all of nature, with all animals and with all humans. You feel the heat and the light emanating from the flame in your heart. Out of your head shines a beautiful light of different colors. You are radiant with the glow of love and you pray:

Thank you Creator of the Universe, for the gift of life you have given me. Thank you for giving me everything that I have ever truly needed. Thank you for the opportunity to experience this beautiful body and this wonderful mind. Thank you for living inside me with all of your love, with your pure and boundless spirit, with your warm and radiant light.

Thank you for using my words, for using my eyes, for using my heart to share your love wherever I go. I love you just the way you are, and because I am your creation, I love myself just the way I am. Help me to keep the love and the peace in my heart and to make that love a new way of life, that I may live in love the rest of my life.

Aren’t we all in perpetual pursuit of happiness? I mean we get a little… well a lot… bogged down by life and running to and fro. But we live for those divine moments of happiness.

Have you ever read something that literally jumped off the page and latched onto your brainwaves like… as my grandmother used to say… white on rice? These powerful words did that to me… “We are too close to the American Dream to see the nightmare.” I cant remember where I read that or I would give them the much deserved credit for this bit of prose. My eyes fell quite silent to the rest of what I was reading when I came upon it. Because… it was profound to me. It seems many of us are in such a hell bent pursuit of “happiness” that we have totally missed the boat… we are instead living the nightmare of our pursuit.

We are consumed by being on the run and have little time left for enjoying the “now”… for reflecting on our lives and what they feel like to us. Each of us has a choice about how we perceive happiness and the steps we take to achieve that. I believe success is best achieved with a holistic approach that allows us to live life to our greatest potential and without the baggage of guilt and regrets.

Studies have shown that there are four factors that contribute most to our having meaning and satisfaction in our lives and achieving “happiness”:

• Having a meaningful honest relationship with at least one person in your life – a relationship built upon trust
• Having enough financial freedom to life life in a comfortable fashion without ongoing concerns about financial issues
• Well-being of our Body, Mind, and Soul
• Knowing oneself intimately and understanding what we require in the way of self care and nurturing

Simply put… when these things get out of balance… so does life. Being on the go all the time can create issues for us like: parenting that comes from a place of quick necessity instead of thoughtfulness, irritability, health challenges, poor choices, strained relationships, and the list goes on and on.

I encourage you to take time today to look at where you are in your life and ask yourself if your life might be richer if you made some simple lifestyle changes. Don’t spend your last 25 years trying to make up for the past 50. I have some tips that might help you!

A few simple steps that might just give you the nudge you need to live life with a great deal more abundance.

1. Get some clarity about what matters to you… your values
2. Set goals and objectives for yourself
3. Don’t procrastinate or sabotage yourself… don’t make excuses
4. Learn how and when to say NO
5. Surround yourself with people who fuel you up and support you
6. Love what you do… Make sure your career is something that is fulfilling and fun for you

Its just a start… But I challenge you to stop living the American Dream… and start living YOURS!!

Blessings…

Chyrl